Episodes
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South Asia has been sweltering in recent months as a confluence of factors has led to a very hot summer, with extreme weather events killing dozens in the region.
Nearly 25,000 people have suffered suspected heatstroke and 56 died amid scorching heat across India between March and May, local media reported citing government data.
May has been a particularly bad month for India, with temperatures in New Delhi and nearby Rajasthan state touching 50 C.
In contrast, parts of the country's east have been reeling from Cyclone Remal. Heavy rain in the northeastern state of Assam has killed 14 people since May 27.
Cities in the southern states of Karnataka and Kerala have also been inundated by heavy rains.India's tech hub of Bengaluru received 111.1 millimeters of rainfall on Sunday, the highest it has seen in the month of June since 1891.
Local media footage showed vehicles and pedestrians wading through flooded streets in Bengaluru, with fallen trees blocking roads and massive traffic jams clogging major intersections.In the island country of Sri Lanka, at least 15 people have been killed by flooding and landslides after heavy monsoon rain lashed the region, the country's Disaster Management Centre said on Sunday.
A confluence of factors has led to a very hot summer in South Asia, a trend scientists said has been worsened by human-driven climate change.At least 33 people, including poll officials on duty in India's just-concluded general election, have died of suspected heatstroke in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the north, and Odisha in the east.
Data from the National Centre of Disease Control showed the situation was worst in May, with 46 heat-related deaths and 19,189 suspected heatstroke cases, news site ThePrint reported.Including suspected cases, the total number of deaths in India could be much higher at 80, The Hindu newspaper reported.More than 5,000 cases of heatstroke were reported in the central state of Madhya Pradesh alone.
The weather office has predicted that heat will be less severe till Wednesday, and an early arrival of monsoon in Kerala last week is expected to bring more relief.
Highest temperature
In Bangladesh, a mild heat wave was sweeping parts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, and it may continue, the country's weather agency said on Sunday.
The country's maximum temperature on Saturday was recorded at 37.4 C in Jashore, some 164 kilometers southwest of Dhaka.In the capital, the maximum temperature rose to 36.5 C on Sunday.Because of increasing moisture incursions, experts said the discomfort may increase in Bangladesh, which sits on a massive river delta.
In recent years, natural disasters such as floods and heat waves induced by extreme weather owing to climate change have caused more frequent-than-usual disasters in the country of 165 million people.
Experts said heat waves would likely escalate in the coming years because of erratic rainfall and high temperatures, posing a threat to Bangladesh, one of the biggest victims of global warming.Dhaka experienced 40.6 C on April 16 last year, the highest in the capital in 58 years.
The country experienced a record-breaking 23 heat wave days in April, the highest in 76 years.
Source: Agencies
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China will enhance its policy support to accelerate the development of emerging industries such as smart connected vehicles, as the nation has huge potential to become the world's largest market for self-driving cars, according to an official and experts.
This could create multibillion-dollar opportunities for domestic as well as international companies, they added.
To support the high-quality development of the intelligent vehicle industry, cars in China are expected to get their own "phone numbers".
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it plans to allocate a total of 100 million 11-digit mobile network numbers dedicated to facilitating communication among vehicles, and between vehicles and the back-end management systems of carmakers.
The ministry did not provide a specific time frame for the implementation of the plan, but experts said the move will give the development of internet-connected vehicles a big boost.
Yang Zongyi, an auto expert at Chinese car manufacturer BAIC Motor Corp, said: "With the support of connectivity technologies, vehicles are no longer just a means of transportation, but rather a mobile intelligent device. Traffic lights, parking lots and even roads can all interact with our connected cars, providing our users with a more intelligent and convenient travel experience."
For instance, two connected vehicles can "talk to each other" and the drivers can see each other's location, route and fuel consumption on a large screen, Yang said.
Huang Hexian, a telecom expert at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, said that compared with smartphones, internet-connected vehicles have stricter requirements for network bandwidth, network response time, security, manageability and controllability of communication services.
This is why the ministry plans to allocate 100 million network numbers to vehicles, which will give the development of internet-connected vehicles a big boost, she said.
In an article published on Saturday in Qiushi Journal, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong said that more efforts will be made to accelerate the development of smart connected vehicles.
"By proactively adapting to and leading the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, we can ensure that technological innovation truly contributes to industrial development," he said.
China will make good use of its large domestic market and diverse application scenarios, and systematically advance technological innovation, in order to drive the healthy and orderly development of emerging industries such as 5G networks and smart connected vehicles, Jin added.
Fu Bingfeng, executive vice-president and secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said, "Autonomous vehicles will become popular in China at a faster pace than in other countries, as local consumers are very enthusiastic and curious about such functions."
Consulting firm McKinsey & Co has predicted that China will become the world's largest market for autonomous vehicles, with revenue from such vehicles and mobility services exceeding $500 billion by 2030.
Total autonomous vehicle sales are expected to hit $230 billion, while autonomous vehicle-based services are likely to generate around $260 billion by the end of the decade, it said.
According to Fu, China is likely to roll out more measures, such as optimizing its legal framework and boosting vehicle-and-road coordination, to fuel further development of autonomous vehicles.
Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, said that traditional ways of managing cars are no longer feasible, and more efforts are needed to ensure automotive data security and privacy.
"How to strike a balance between encouraging industrial innovation and ensuring safety is the top question for us to answer before really stepping into the era of autonomous vehicles," he added.
Reporter: Ma Si
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Episodes manquant?
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Former US president Donald Trump on Saturday joined TikTok, a video social media platform that he tried to ban as president on national security grounds, attracting 3 million followers.
"It's my honor," Trump said in a video post, which showed the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee waving to the audience at an Ultimate Fighting Championship game in Newark, the most populous city in the US state of New Jersey.
To date, Trump has rapidly attracted more than 3 million followers. His debut post garnered around 33 million views within 12 hours and has now received over 2.9 million likes.
Trump is currently embroiled in a series of criminal and civil lawsuits at the federal and local levels.
He became the first former president in US history convicted of a crime after a jury in New York on Thursday found him guilty of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a bid to hide hush money payment to a porn star in 2016, shortly before the presidential election.
Trump's 2024 presidential contender, US President Joe Biden, had already launched a TikTok account in February with over 340,000 followers so far.
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance filed a legal challenge on May 7 against the US government over a law forcing ByteDance to sell off the ultra-popular app or face a nationwide ban in the country. Biden signed a TikTok ban bill into law in April after both houses of US Congress passed it.
The TikTok ban, citing unfounded national security concerns due to its Chinese ownership, has drawn widespread criticism from various quarters both within and outside the United States, with people questioning the motivations behind Washington's suppression of the popular app, and raising concerns about constitutional rights and the principle of fair competition being violated.
Source: Xinhua
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Zhang Heshan starts his day before dawn, scaling the rugged terrain near his village in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province — a seemingly ordinary routine that the 69-year-old has gone to extraordinary lengths to follow for the past 46 years.
His destination is a 6-kilometer stretch of the Great Wall, where he spends hours meticulously inspecting 23 ancient watchtowers and removing any weeds or waste that could threaten the integrity of the structure.
For Zhang, this daily ritual is a labor of love and a mission for preservation. He has also gone the extra mile to collect folk tales about the Great Wall and has detailed them in two books.
He is one of the tens of thousands of rangers and volunteers dedicated to preserving this iconic monument in China, and their contributions have won recognition from President Xi Jinping, as the nation ramps up its drive for cultural preservation and development.
Last month, Xi wrote back to the residents of Shixia village in Beijing's Yanqing district, who are committed to protecting the Great Wall and carrying forward its culture, just like Zhang.
The president underscored the Great Wall's role as "a symbol of the Chinese nation and an important emblem of Chinese civilization", embodying the spirit of unyielding perseverance and patriotic unity, while encouraging its guardians to pass down "this precious heritage left by our ancestors for generations to come".
One year ago, Xi made a clarion call for action as he presided over a high-level symposium on cultural inheritance and development, expounding on the need to firm up confidence among the Chinese people in their history and culture.
He highlighted the need to use Chinese wisdom to summarize the Chinese experience and transform it into Chinese theory, in order to develop an independent cultural mindset, while underlining the importance of shouldering new cultural missions and building a modern Chinese civilization.
Zhang Zhiqiang, dean of the Institute of Philosophy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that Xi has elevated cultural development to an unprecedented position in China's national governance — a move that has also reinvigorated the role of traditional culture in national governance and education.
This unprecedented emphasis will entail the creative transformation and innovative development of China's outstanding traditional culture, he said on Sunday at a symposium held at the Chinese Academy of History.
Nationwide, people in general are embracing the revival of traditional culture.
China's museums recorded a historic 1.29 billion visits in 2023, with over 40,000 exhibitions and more than 380,000 educational activities held over the past year.
Archaeological endeavors have yielded remarkable discoveries, unveiling ancient treasures that shed light on China's historical depth and maritime legacy. Two shipwrecks that were found by archaeologists deep in the South China Sea in October once served as witnesses to commercial and cultural exchanges along the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
Wang Wei, a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of its history department, said in a recent interview that Chinese civilization is the only ancient civilization in the world that has continued uninterrupted to this day.
"Archaeological discoveries enable the public to gain a deeper understanding of the splendor of Chinese civilization and its contributions to human civilization, drawing wisdom from the past to navigate the future," Wang said.
Meanwhile, the protection of the Great Wall, which spans 15 provincial-level regions across China, received a significant boost as the central government rolled out an initiative in 2019 to develop a thematic national cultural park.
Modern technologies are now used to empower conservation efforts. In Beijing's Huairou district, researchers are using drones and data analytics to monitor and protect the structure.
Zhang, the ranger, now has over 400,000 followers on his social media platforms, where he regularly shares videos of him patrolling the Great Wall. He is also frequently invited to share his insights into Great Wall culture at official symposiums and to tell his stories on TV programs.
"For me, beyond guarding the physical structure of the Great Wall, there are countless stories to uncover and a wealth of culture to explore. This is a lifelong endeavor," he said.
Reporter: Xu Wei, Du Juan
Wang Ru contributed to this story.
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The company of the net celebrity "Wang Ma" released a letter of apology online after its former staff members and job applicants reported their irrationally low payment but highly intensive workload at the company.
网红“王妈”所属公司在网上发布了一封道歉信，此前该公司的前员工和求职者爆料称，他们在该公司的薪酬极低，但工作量却非常大。
"Wang Ma", meaning a nanny surnamed Wang in Chinese, is the main character of an online short play presented at a douyin account called "Qi ke xing xing". The account so far has about 16.58 million followers at Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
“王妈”，中文意思是姓王的保姆，是一部名为“七颗猩猩”的抖音在线短剧的主角。到目前为止，这个账号在抖音（中国版的TikTok）拥有约1658万粉丝。
The sitcoms have soon gone viral online after they debuted in March, as "Wang Ma" has been portrayed as a sober female with a sharp tongue who dares to fight against improper or irrational requirements from her boss with comedic and facetious acts. Many netizens commented online that they resonated with "Wang Ma" and had been cheered up and inspired by her.
这些情景喜剧在3月份首播后很快走红网络，其中“王妈”被塑造成了一个敢于用滑稽的行为对抗老板提出的不正当或不合理的要求的说话尖锐的清醒女性。许多网友在网上评论说，他们与“王妈”产生了共鸣，并受到了她的鼓舞和激励。
However, some staff members and job applicants to the company — Wuhan Huangye Culture and Media Co in Hubei province, running the douyin account of "Wang Ma" — unmasked the harsher working environment and low pay at the company.
然而，“王妈”抖音账号所属的湖北省武汉荒野文化传媒有限公司的一些员工和求职者揭露了该公司恶劣的工作环境和低工资。
They revealed that the company required its members to work following "big week, small week" — working a six-day week every two weeks — and only pay 4,000 yuan ($552) or less for highly-intensive jobs, as reported by ChinaNews.com.
据中国新闻网报道，他们透露，该公司要求其成员按照“大小周”工作——每两周有一周工作六天——并且只为高强度工作支付4000元人民币（552美元）或更低的工资。
There were no working computers, and there was no additional pay for overtime work. No social insurance would be given to interns, and the insurance is also a vague problem for its permanent workers, according to ChinaNews.com.
没有可以工作的电脑，加班也没有额外的报酬。据中国新闻网报道，实习生没有社会保险，而正式员工的保险缴纳情况也并不清晰。
The company made an apology on Tuesday on Weibo, claiming that it has paid full social insurance for its permanent workers and will optimize the payment management system in the future.
5月28日，该公司在微博上道歉，声称已为其正式员工缴纳了全额社会保险，并将在未来优化薪酬管理体系。
According to the company's apology letter, it has decided to raise the minimum payment to 6,000 yuan ($828) per month to all its workers and canceled the working hour rule of "big week, small week". It will offer extra holidays to its workers in addition to the nation's official holidays and offer office supplies like computers.
根据该公司的道歉信，该公司已决定将所有员工的最低工资提高到每月6000元人民币（828美元），并取消了“大小周”的工作时间规定。除了国家法定假日外，该公司还将为员工提供额外假期，并提供电脑等办公用品。
Also, it promised to hire extras, pay them reasonable salaries through regular brokerage firms and try its best to protect their rights.
此外，该公司承诺坚持通过正规经纪渠道招募群演并按规定支付合理薪酬，并尽最大努力保护他们的权利。
online short play
网络短剧
big week, small week
大小周工作制
brokerage firms
经纪公司
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China's Supreme People's Court has highlighted its strong stance on protecting children, including a landmark ruling recognizing a bullied student's knife attack as justifiable defense.
中国最高人民法院强调了保护儿童的坚定立场，其中包括一项具有里程碑意义的裁决，认定受欺凌学生持刀反击属于正当防卫。
The court released details on Thursday of five influential cases involving minors, including an incident in Hunan province in May 2019 in which a 14-year-old student surnamed Jiang injured three classmates with a knife.
5月30日，最高人民法院发布了五起有影响力的未成年人案件的细节，其中包括2019年5月在湖南省发生的一起案件，一名14岁的江姓学生用刀伤害了三名同学。
After an investigation, a court in Jishou, Hunan, found that 15 students had bullied Jiang by beating him, and he carried the knife to the washroom because he had been attacked earlier that day.
经调查，湖南吉首的一家法院发现，15名学生殴打了江姓学生，他在此之前就受到了攻击才携带刀具前往洗手间。
On July 6, 2020, the Jishou court identified Jiang's behavior as justifiable defense in line with the law, announcing that he should not be held criminally liable for the injuries.
2020年7月6日，湖南省吉首市人民法院依法认定江姓学生的行为属于正当防卫，宣布其不应对伤害承担刑事责任。
The Supreme People's Court, agreeing with the lower court's judgment, said: "The injuries occurred when Jiang suffered school bullying at the hands of 15 people. In that urgent circumstance, it could be understood that he used a knife to defend himself.
最高人民法院同意下级法院的判决，称：“这些伤害是在江姓学生遭受15人校园欺凌时发生的。在那种紧急情况下，可以理解他用刀自卫。”
"His counterattack was against the bullying, instead of those classmates, and his means were also moderate and didn't cause serious harm to the others.
“他的反击是针对欺凌行为，而不是那些同学，他的手段也是温和的，没有对其他人造成严重伤害。”
"The case responded to a hot issue — school bullying — that severely harms students' physical and mental health. It has also shown the judicial effort in the protection of children being bullied, so as to provide a sound study environment for minors."
“该案件回应了一个严重危害学生身心健康的热点问题——校园欺凌。这也显示了司法部门在保护受欺凌儿童方面的努力，以便为未成年人提供良好的学习环境。”
The court also issued a 42-article guideline strengthening juvenile protection and crime prevention measures.
最高人民法院还发布了一项42条的指导意见，以加强未成年人司法保护及犯罪防治工作。
The guideline mandates courts to identify bullying during other child-related cases and promptly notify schools or training institutions to arrange intervention. It also calls for following up on how educational departments address the issue.
该指导意见要求法院在其他与儿童相关的案件中识别欺凌行为，并及时通知学校或培训机构安排干预。它还呼吁跟进教育部门如何解决这一问题。
Crimes like trafficking, kidnapping, violent assault and sexual assault against minors will be met with "zero tolerance" and harsh punishments, the guideline said.
该指导意见称，对未成年人的拐卖、绑架、暴力袭击和性侵等案件，坚持零容忍立场，依法从严惩处。
The court emphasized a balanced approach, prioritizing education over punishment for minors. "We are tolerant but not indulgent," it said. "For minors with deep malice and extremely harmful behavior, especially those refusing to correct their mistakes, we will resolutely punish them according to the law."
法院强调采取平衡的方法，对未成年人的教育优于惩罚。“我们宽容但不纵容”法院表示，“对于恶意程度深、行为危害极大的未成年人，特别是拒不改正错误的未成年人，我们将坚决依法依规予以惩戒。”
justifiable defense
正当防卫
juvenile protection
未成年人保护
education over punishment
教育优于惩罚
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The Party secretary, environmental protection chief and a leading official in charge of water resources in Quanjiao county, Anhui province, have been removed from their positions for river pollution that sparked widespread criticism.
安徽省全椒县党委书记、环保局长和一名负责水资源的主要官员因引发公众普遍指责的河流污染事件被免。
After a recent fire at a petroleum additive company in the county, polluted water flowed into the Chuhe river, a joint investigation team said in a statement issued on Wednesday morning.
5月29日上午，联合调查组发布声明称，该县一家石油助剂公司最近发生火灾后，受污染的水流入了滁河。
The Chuhe is a tributary of the Yangtze River.
滁河是长江的支流。
The team was formed by the provincial government and the provincial discipline inspection and supervision authorities, Anhui Daily reported.
据《安徽日报》报道，该团队由省委省政府和省纪检监察机关组成。
The pollution led to mass fish deaths in the section of the river passing through the city of Chuzhou and in its lower reaches in Nanjing, the capital of neighboring Jiangsu province, media outlets reported.
据媒体报道，污染导致流经滁州市的江段及其下游江苏省省会南京市的大量鱼类死亡。
Dou Ping, who was director of the county's ecology and environment bureau, told China Central Television the bureau had not checked the toxicity of the water used in fighting the fire that had leaked into the river after the fire was put out "because there was no need to do so".
该县生态环境分局局长窦平告诉中国中央电视台，该局没有检查灭火用水的毒性，因为“没有必要做”。灭火用水在灭火后泄漏到河里。
"People can be killed after drinking too much Moutai (liquor). If somebody dies from drinking Moutai, should anybody test the toxicity of the alcohol?" Dou said in the interview, which was broadcast on Monday.
“喝茅台也能喝死人。喝死人以后，需要对茅台做毒性分析吗？”窦平在5月27日播出的采访中说。
Yang Jun, a senior official with the county's water resources bureau, told CCTV he was not too concerned about the incident as he was due to retire in two months.
该县水利局党组成员杨俊告诉中国中央电视台，他并不清楚这一事件，他将在两个月后退休。
Videos of the comments by Dou and Yang have gone viral online since Tuesday.
自5月28日以来，窦平和杨俊的采访视频在网上大量传播。
Both Dou and Yang have been removed from their posts, the county government said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
县政府在5月29日发布的声明中称，窦平和杨俊已被免职。
The investigation team's statement said the county's Party secretary, Yang Guang, had also been removed from the position and probes targeting other personnel were underway.
调查组的声明称，该县县委书记杨光也被免职，针对其他人员的调查正在进行中。
The provincial authorities organized a conference on handling the incident on Tuesday afternoon, which was attended by top officials including the province's Party secretary and governor.
5月28日下午，广东省政府组织了一次处理事故的会议，包括省委书记和省长在内的省领导出席了会议。
It called for quick and scientific handling of pollution remediation and the punishment of officials who were at fault according to related regulations and laws.
会议要求迅速和科学地处理问题，并根据相关法规和法律对有过错的官员进行处罚。
In November, the provincial governments of Anhui and Jiangsu signed an agreement on a cross-region mechanism for the protection of the Yangtze River basin's aquatic environment.
11月，安徽省和江苏省政府签署了一项关于长江流域横向生态保护补偿机制的协议。
Under the agreement, the water that flows from Anhui to Jiangsu is subject to periodic assessments. If the quality reaches agreed standards, Jiangsu compensates Anhui for expenses incurred to protect the environment. Otherwise, Jiangsu is compensated to subsidize its additional costs in treating polluted water.
根据协议，从安徽流入江苏的水要接受定期评估。如果质量达到约定的标准，江苏将补偿安徽为保护环境而支出的费用。否则，江苏将获得补偿，以补贴其处理污水的额外成本。
pollution remediation
污染修复
periodic assessments
定期评估
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The output of litchi in Guangdong province, one of its major production bases, is predicted to hit 876,400 metric tons this year, down 51 percent year-on-year.
作为其主要生产基地之一，广东省今年的荔枝产量预计将达到87.64万吨，同比下降51%。
That has led to a price hike in markets in the western part of Guangdong.
这导致了广东西部市场的价格上涨。
Litchi prices in the city of Maoming have risen by between 30 percent and more than 100 percent compared with last year.
与去年相比，茂名市的荔枝价格上涨了30%到100%以上。
Litchi from western Guangdong usually ripens earlier than fruit from other places.
来自广东西部的荔枝通常比来自其他地方的水果成熟得更早。
Chen Houbin, a chief scientist with the National Litchi Longan Industrial Technology System, said the predicted output of litchi across the country this year will be 1.78 million tons, down 42.5 percent from the previous year.
国家荔枝龙眼产业技术体系首席科学家陈厚彬表示，今年全国荔枝产量为178万吨，较上年同期下降42.5%。
The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is projected to harvest about 410,000 tons of litchi this year, a year-on-year reduction of 59 percent, while Hainan province is expected to produce about 200,000 tons, a year-on-year drop of 15 percent.
广西壮族自治区今年预计收获荔枝约41万吨，同比减少59%，海南省预计生产约20万吨，同比下降15%。
Chen, also a researcher at South China Agricultural University, attributed the reduction to a warm winter, which prevented mid- to late-maturing varieties from flowering properly.
陈厚彬也是华南农业大学的研究员，他认为温暖的冬天阻碍了中晚熟品种正常开花，从而造成了荔枝产量的减少。
Continuous extreme weather, including storms, hailstones and tornadoes, also affected the harvest, he said.
他说，包括风暴、冰雹和龙卷风在内的持续的极端天气也影响了收成。
Guangdong enjoyed a bumper litchi harvest last year, causing the litchi trees to become weak, and their vigor has yet to return to its optimal state. And litchi harvests typically occur in alternating years of high and low yields, Chen said.
广东去年的荔枝大丰收，导致荔枝树身体虚弱，其活力尚未恢复到最佳状态。陈厚彬说，荔枝的收获存在“大小年”的情况。
He urged related departments to rely on technology to promote high-quality development of the litchi industry.
他敦促相关部门依靠技术来促进荔枝产业的优质发展。
"More litchi varieties with better temperature requirements should be cultivated through seed selection, hybridization and biotechnology methods," he said.
他说：“应该通过种子选择、杂交和生物技术方法培育更多温度需求较好达到的荔枝品种。”
Targeted measures should be taken to strengthen the trees, and manage nutrition and plant protection, while promoting soil improvement technology, nutrition diagnosis guidance, and modern agricultural equipment in litchi orchards, he added.
他补充说，应采取有针对性的措施以加强树木建设、管理树木营养和进行植物保护，同时提升荔枝果园的土壤改良技术、营养诊断指导和现代农业设备。
Earlier this month, the Litchi Meteorological Service Center was launched by the Guangdong Meteorological Service and Guangdong Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, providing special meteorological services to local orchards and litchi growers.
本月早些时候，广东省气象局和广东省农农部启动了荔枝气象服务中心，为当地果园和荔枝种植者提供特殊气象服务。
Zeng Zong, deputy director of the Guangdong Meteorological Service, said the center will accelerate the automation of litchi meteorological observation, the digitization and intelligence of services, and the integration of scientific research and business services, to enhance the scientific and technological capabilities of meteorological support for the high-quality development of the industry.
广东气象局副局长曾琮说，该中心将加快荔枝气象观测自动化、服务数字化和智能化，科研与商务服务的整合，增强气象支持科技能力，促进行业优质发展。
Huang Yun, a litchi grower in Lingshui, Hainan, said a good harvest would not be achieved without good planting management.
海南陵水的荔枝种植者黄云（Huang Yun）说，没有良好的种植管理，就不会有好收成。
Litchi trees often bear fruit in the rainy season, and disease and insect prevention, as well as drainage, are particularly important for a good harvest, said Huang, adding that he usually uses organic fertilizers to improve soil quality and builds ditches to ensure good drainage before the rainy season arrives.
荔枝树在雨季经常结出果实，病虫害防治以及排水对好收成特别重要，黄云（Huang Yun）说，他通常使用有机肥料来改善土壤质量，修建沟渠，以确保良好的排水。
Lin Changzhen, director of the Caixianyuan Fruit and Vegetable Cooperative in Gaozhou, Guangdong, said her cooperative has been using multiple methods, including expanding e-commerce platform channels, training professional talent and enhancing industrial technology to help expand litchi sales, stabilize the market and increase income growth.
广东省高州市采鲜园果蔬合作社社长林常珍说，她的合作机构一直采用多种方式，包括扩大电子商务平台渠道、培养专业人才、加强产业技术，以帮助扩大荔枝销售、稳定市场、增加收入增长。
Logistics and services are also important, as litchi is a highly seasonal fruit, she added.
她补充说，物流和服务也很重要，因为荔枝是一种季节性的水果。
mid- to late-maturing varieties
中晚熟品种
disease and insect prevention
病虫害防治
seasonal fruit
季节性水果
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France’s iconic Eiffel Tower is increasing its ticket prices by 20%, CNN’s affiliate BFMTV has reported, to help cover the costs of renovation work and financial losses during the coronavirus pandemic.
美国有线电视新闻网旗下的BFM电视台报道称，法国的标志性建筑埃菲尔铁塔门票价格将上涨20%，这是为了帮助支付翻修费用以及弥补新冠疫情期间发生的亏损。
An adult ticket including an elevator ride to the summit of the Parisian landmark will cost €35.30 ($38.31) from June 17 onwards, rising from €29.40 ($31.91), BFMTV reported. The same ticket for children aged between 12 and 14 years old will cost €17.70 ($19.21) and the price for children between four and 11 years old to reach the tower’s summit will be €8.90 ($9.66).
据BFM电视台报道，从6月17日起，包含乘坐电梯到达埃菲尔铁塔顶部的成人票将从29.4欧元（约合人民币231元）上涨到35.3欧元（约合人民币277元）。12岁至14岁儿童的门票将为17.7欧元，4岁至11岁儿童的门票（包含乘坐电梯登顶）将为8.9欧元。
The price increase has been brought about, BFMTV reported, in part because of a “significant loss of revenue” caused by the “health crisis between 2020 and 2022.”
据报道，门票上涨在一定程度上是由于 “2020至2022年健康危机”导致的“重大收入损失”。
In 2020, less than 1.6 million people visited the Eiffel Tower, compared to nearly 6.2 million visitors the year before, the monument’s operating company Sociéte d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE) reported. Less than 2.1 million people visited the following year.
埃菲尔铁塔运营公司SETE报告称，2020年埃菲尔铁塔游客人数不足160万，而2019年游客人数达到近620万。2021年埃菲尔铁塔游客人数不到210万。
In both years, operating costs were around triple that of the landmark’s overall turnover, SETE said.
SETE表示，这两年中，埃菲尔铁塔的运营成本大约是总营业额的三倍。
Renovation work is also behind the cost increase, including “lead prevention measures” related to the painting of the tower, BFMTV reported. The painting work is expected to last until 2027 while work is also planned on the elevators, which will lead to occasional closures.
据BFM电视台报道，翻修工程也是票价上涨的原因之一，包括给铁塔重刷油漆相关的“铅污染防护措施”。重刷油漆工程预计将持续到2027年，同时也计划对电梯进行施工，期间铁塔会不定时关闭。
英文来源：美国有线电视新闻网 -
Premier Li Qiang has urged China, Japan and the Republic of Korea to reject external disruptions and stay committed to harmonious coexistence and mutual support.
Li made the remark on Monday when addressing the 8th China-Japan-ROK Business Summit in Seoul on the sidelines of the ninth Trilateral Summit Meeting among the three Asian neighbors.
"China, Japan and the Republic of Korea are geographically close neighbors, which determines that we should strive to be peaceful and friendly neighbors," he said. "Drawing lessons from history and looking to the future, we should respect the aspirations of the people of the three countries to live and work in peace, make efforts to eliminate external disruptions to coexist harmoniously, and help each other in times of need."
He underlined the need for the three countries to consider one another as partners and important opportunities on the path of development and to achieve a higher level of mutually beneficial cooperation.
It is essential to make good use of the cultural affinity of the three neighbors to promote mutual understanding, build mutual trust and enhance cooperation, Li said.
China is willing to work hand in hand with the Republic of Korea and Japan to deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, promote the integration of their interests and bring the people of the three nations closer, driving regional integration and creating new prospects for regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, he said.
He called on entrepreneurs to play a crucial role in promoting economic and trade exchanges and cooperation among China, Japan and the Republic of Korea
It is hoped that entrepreneurs will be the defenders of stable global industrial and supply chains, he said.
the Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also attended the event.
They praised the achievements in trilateral economic and trade cooperation, emphasizing its role in promoting global economic development.
They called for strengthening cooperation with Global South countries through the model of "China-Japan-ROK Plus X", jointly addressing global challenges such as climate change, and making contributions to the economic growth of the three countries as well as the world.
Approximately 240 representatives from the business and government sectors of the three countries attended the summit, which focused on economic revitalization and sustainable development.
The business summit adopted a joint statement in which the business communities of the three nations pledged to cooperate on the facilitation of the digital transition, stimulation of trade and stabilization of supply chains, as well as on the fostering of cutting-edge industries and industrial digitalization as key economic growth engines.
They also pledged to cooperate on the green transition, responses to aging populations, and healthcare. To promote sustainable development, the business communities of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea will work together on the development of carbon reduction technologies and the resolution of regional environmental issues, and jointly respond to climate change.
A working group for trilateral dialogue among the business communities of the three countries will be set up for joint research on private-sector economic cooperation and the discussion of current issues, according to the statement. -
After imposing steep additional tariffs on Chinese exports such as electric vehicles and solar panels, the United States is instigating a broader trade war against China.
Highlighting the potential threat from what she labels as China's excess industrial capacity, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen underscored the Joe Biden administration is seeking to get Europe to gang up with the US to act in a "strategic and united way" to build "a wall of opposition" against so-called unfair Chinese practices.
The US policy circle clearly loves the notion of walls, something they can hunker the US behind to avoid the spillback from their actions and use to fool the US public by giving seeming substance to their fanciful claim that the country is a castle besieged.
The wall of opposition they are trying to erect is not one that is intended for united efforts for common benefits, even limited to supposed allies.
It is a wall of fragmentation from which the US is intended to be the sole beneficiary, and the US' European allies are merely useful labor for the construction work.The wall once built will not only further disrupt the global industry and supply chains, but also dampen hopes for rescuing and resetting economic globalization.
Yet the Biden administration's recent wolf-crying over alleged Chinese overcapacity has clearly wormed its way into the changing-world anxieties of the developed countries, as the G7 members led by the US expressed shared "concerns about China's comprehensive use of nonmarket policies and practices that undermines our workers, industries, and economic resilience".
The overcapacity rhetoric has gained such currency in Europe lately that Beijing must make even greater efforts to get across its counterargument that Chinese industrial capacity in green industries is a natural outcome of market competition that is beyond reproach.
That the US has, it seems, scared its allies into swallowing its bait will backfire against their own economies, and further hinder their green transition.
The other G7 countries should be wary of falling in line behind the US to put up trade barriers to "neutralize" China's green export growth.
But just as the French and German finance ministers pointed out, a trade war, not to mention such an extensive one as Washington envisions, is a formula for lose-lose outcomes.Christian Lindner, the German finance minister, said, "trade wars are all about losing, you can't win them.
"Accusations regarding Chinese trading practices must be examined objectively and very carefully, he said, and if joint actions are to be taken, they must have World Trade Organization support.But if the accusations are indeed examined carefully, they will be seen for what they are — another strand in the net the US is trying to weave to contain China's development.
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China and the Republic of Korea have agreed to start high-level strategic dialogue between their foreign ministries and expedite the second phase of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement amid their strained relations in recent years.
The decision was made on Sunday when Premier Li Qiang met with ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul ahead of the ninth Trilateral Summit Meeting among China, Japan and the ROK, which is scheduled for Monday.
Both sides also agreed to hold"2+2" dialogues on foreign affairs and security at deputy ministerial level, and initiate the "track 1.5"dialogue and exchange mechanism.
"Track 1.5" dialogues are talks that involve a delegation of government officials, who participate in an unofficial capacity, and nongovernmental experts — all sitting around the same table.
The two countries pledged to better leverage mechanisms such as the economic ministers' meeting as well as consultations on industrial investment cooperation, industrial and supply chain collaboration and export control, revive the China-ROK Joint Committee on People-to-People Exchanges and youth exchanges, and further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
During the meeting, Li called on the ROK to work with China to respect each other's core interests and major concerns and stay committed to being neighbors who trust each other and partners who help each other to succeed.
He said the industrial and supply chains of China and the ROK are deeply intertwined, with a solid foundation and enormous potential for economic and trade cooperation.
While calling for expanding cooperation in more fields, Li underscored the need for both countries to jointly resist politicizing economic and trade issues, or overstretching the concept of security, to maintain stable and unimpeded industrial and supply chains.
China is willing to accelerate the second phase of negotiations on the bilateral FTA based on a pragmatic and balanced approach, advance the construction of the China-ROK(Changchun) International Cooperation Demonstration Zone, and strengthen partnership in the fields of high-end manufacturing, new energy, artificial intelligence and biomedicine, the premier said.
He pledged that China will further expand market access, enhance service guarantees for foreign investment, continuously foster a world-class, market-based business environment governed by a sound legal framework, and welcome more ROK companies to invest and do business in the country.
China is willing to enhance communication and coordination with the ROK in multilateral fields to jointly promote regional and global peace and development, Li added.With the United States imposing restrictions to hinder China's development, there has been a negative trend among its allies to overstretch the concept of security in the fields of economics, trade and technology.
As a staunch ally of the US in Northeast Asia, the ROK has also adopted negative foreign policies toward China such as implementing export controls.However, China has been the ROK's largest trading partner for 20 years in a row.
Despite a year-on-year decrease of 13.5 percent, bilateral trade reached more than $310 billion in 2023, according to statistics from the General Administration of Customs.Yoon said that maintaining close cooperation between the ROK and China is not only important for the development of both countries, but also significant for achieving global peace and prosperity.
He assured Li that the ROK adheres to the one-China principle, a stance that remains unchanged, and will continue to steadfastly develop its relations with China.
The ROK is willing to maintain high-level exchanges and close communication at all levels with China on the basis of mutual respect, expand economic and trade cooperation, enhance cultural exchanges, and broaden common interests between the two countries, Yoon said.
He added that Seoul is ready to deepen trilateral cooperation among the ROK, China and Japan.On Sunday, Li also met with Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, in Seoul.
He welcomed Samsung and other ROK companies to continue expanding their investment in and cooperation with China, and share more of the new opportunities brought about by China's development.
Reporter: Cao Desheng
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In a classroom filled with eager students, the lecture on exercise and nutrition is in full swing. Meanwhile, on the sports field, students are jogging, and in the training center, they are learning rock climbing. In the cafeteria, teachers guide students on healthy diet. This is not just any ordinary class at the Peking University, but a groundbreaking course titled "Physical Fitness Enhancement: Exercise and Diet," which has become the talk of the town among students as the ultimate "weight loss miracle class."
Unlike traditional physical education classes, the course aims to teach students how to achieve weight loss goals in a scientific and healthy manner, the Beijing Youth Daily reported on Wednesday.
The weight loss class at Beijing University has been running for two years, and it has helped one-third of the students successfully lose over 5 percent of their body weight, with the best record being a student who lost 33 pounds in one semester.
One of the students who enrolled in this class is Lou Yuqian, a 23-year-old undergraduate student. Standing at 175cm tall and weighing 85kg, with a BMI of 26, he was determined to find a scientific way to shed those extra pounds.
"This course is not only a physical education requirement but also teaches scientific weight-losing methods, it's like it was tailor-made for me," Lou said.
Due to the high demand for the course, students have to draw lots to secure a spot, and Lou was lucky enough to be selected, according to the Beijing Youth Daily.
Another success story is Hou Xiaoyang, who entered Beijing University in 2023 weighing 220 pounds with a BMI of 32, was classified as obese. After completing the weight loss course for one semester, he managed to shed 33 pounds, becoming the current record holder for weight loss in the class.
Many students, like Cheng Lu, have tried various methods to lose weight, from following social media influencers' workout routines to trying different diet plans, but with little success. Frustrated with the lack of results, Cheng decided to enroll in the weight loss class.
The course is divided into theory, exercise training, and live discussions, with Assistant Professor Zhang Xiaoyuan from the Department of Physical Education leading the theoretical lectures and professional trainers guiding students in exercise training.
On a morning in the university cafeteria, students are seen meticulously weighing their breakfast and calculating the calorie content. This hands-on approach to learning about nutrition is just one of the many innovative methods employed in the weight loss class.
The course has received high praise from students, with many describing it as "progressive and systematic." By incorporating a balanced diet and regular exercise into their daily routine, students are not only losing weight but also gaining confidence and adopting healthier lifestyle choices.
Source: Global Times
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Ireland, Spain and Norway are recognizing a Palestinian state, the three announced Wednesday.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said the historic move was coordinated with the other two, marking "an historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine." He said it's intended to help get a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution.
The official recognition by the three nations of an independent Palestinian state will take effect on May 28, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told a news conference Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reports.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, his country's Socialist leader since 2018, made the expected announcement about the recognition to his nation's Parliament on Wednesday.
Sánchez has spent months touring European and Middle Eastern countries to garner support for the recognition of Palestine, as well as a possible ceasefire in Gaza. He has said several times that he was committed to the move.
Earlier this month, Spain's Foreign Minister José Albares said he had informed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of his government's intention of recognizing Palestine.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered his country's ambassadors to Ireland and Norway to immediately return to Israel and threatened to recall Israel's ambassador to Spain if that country takes a similar position, which it since has.
"Ireland and Norway intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and the whole world: Terrorism pays," Katz said.
He said the recognition could impede efforts to return Israel's hostages being held in Gaza and makes a cease-fire less likely by "rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran."
Earlier Wednesday in announcing Norway's recognition of a Palestinian state, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said "there cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition."
"By recognizing a Palestinian state, Norway supports the Arab peace plan," he said.
Several European Union countries have in the past weeks indicated that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region.
Norway, which isn't a member of the European Union but mirror its moves, has been an ardent supporter of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
"The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel," the Norwegian government leader said.
"Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state," Gahr Støre told a news conference.
The move comes as Israeli forces have led assaults on the northern and southern edges of the Gaza Strip in May, causing a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, and sharply restricted the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine.
The Scandinavian country "will therefore regard Palestine as an independent state with all the rights and obligations that entails," Gahr Støre said.
Norway's recognition of a Palestine state comes more than 30 years after the first Oslo accord was signed in 1993.
Since then, "the Palestinians have taken important steps towards a two-state solution," the Norwegian government said.
It said the World Bank determined that Palestine had met key criteria to function as a state in 2011, that national institutions have been built up to provide the population with important services.
"The war in Gaza and the constant expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank still mean that the situation in Palestine is more difficult than it has been in decades," the Norwegian government said.
Source: CBS News, CCTV
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Discover the exquisite bamboo shoot delicacies that Hangzhou residents cherish. Join us on a flavorful journey through Hangzhou's vibrant cuisine scene and meet the resilient locals who stay flexible to keep up with the changing times, but remain strong and thrive like bamboo. #ChinasHiddenTreasures
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The People's Liberation Army announced on Thursday morning that it started two-day joint military drills surrounding the island of Taiwan from 7:45 am Thursday.
In a brief statement, the PLA's Eastern Theater Command declared that the exercise would take place in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south and east of Taiwan Island, as well as areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin.
In another concurrently released statement, Li Xi, spokesperson for the theater command, emphasized that the exercises serve as a "strong punishment" against the separatist acts of the "Taiwan independence" forces and a "stern warning" to interference and provocation by external forces.
He said the drills, code-named Joint Sword-2024A, scheduled from Thursday to Friday, will involve military services including the army, navy, air force and rocket force of the theater command.
The exercises focus on practicing joint maritime and aerial combat readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive battlefield control, and joint precision strikes of key targets, Li said.
The spokesman added that the drills involve the patrol of vessels and planes closing in on areas around the island of Taiwan and integrated operations inside and outside the island chain to test the joint real combat capabilities of theater command forces.
Reporter: Jiang Chenglong
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President Xi Jinping has reached out to all visitors from the United States with a welcoming gesture in a message that he sent to the 14th China-US Tourism Leadership Summit, which opened on Wednesday in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province.
"We cordially welcome US tourists to travel to China to meet Chinese friends, experience Chinese culture, tour scenic mountains and rivers, and get a firsthand look at the real China," he wrote.
US President Joe Biden also sent a congratulatory message to the event.Industry observers have voiced great hopes that both nations will further encourage two-way visits, as the most recent numbers on border entries and direct flights continue to increase, compared with those of last year, yet they are still lower than the highs achieved before the COVID-19 outbreak.
In his message, Xi said that "tourism is an important bridge for the people of China and the US to engage in exchanges and get to better know and bond with each other".He expressed his hope that people from all walks of life in the two countries will take this summit as an opportunity for in-depth exchanges, consensus building and vigorous actions.
The goal is to facilitate people-to-people exchanges through tourism cooperation, to perpetuate China-US friendship through cultural exchanges, and to help translate the San Francisco vision into reality, he added.
The two countries are celebrating the 45th anniversary this year of the establishment of diplomatic relations.Xi said that the foundation of China-US relations was built by the people, the door of China-US ties was opened by the people, the story of the relations is written by the people, and the future of the ties will certainly be created by the two peoples.
In his message, Biden said that both the US and China "are countries of rich cultural diversity, immense natural beauty and vibrant communities, big and small, all of which support travel and tourism industries that promote prosperity and understanding between our nations".
"Four years ago, a global pandemic closed our borders and halted travel and tourism around the world," Biden said when welcoming Chinese tourists to discover US cities and history and to engage with its people.Observers noted that the huge potential of the China-US tourism market could be illustrated by the fact that before the COVID-19 outbreak, more than 300 flights operated between China and the US each week, and over 5 million visits were made between the two countries every year.
Christopher Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA, an organization that promotes the US as a travel destination, said, "Last August, when the 14th US-China Tourism Leadership Summit was announced, we were all very excited to restart this type of connection between our two nations.
"Related discussions have since had a real impact on advancing tourism between the two economies, as well as fostering better cultural understanding, he told the summit."We're very happy that consumer interest in visiting the US remains quite high," Thompson said, adding that the US remains a popular destination among Chinese travelers.
Experts noted that, as a sign of the recovery of international travel between China and the rest of the world, the country saw 1.78 million visits by inbound travelers and 1.9 million outbound visits during the recent five-day May Day holiday, close to the level in the same period in 2019 before the pandemic.
With fresh joint efforts from both nations, the number of direct flights has grown from 20 per week early last year to 100 per week now, according to a recent speech by Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng.Xie noted that "the flights now are still far from enough, and the tickets are too expensive", and he said the China travel advisory issued by Washington "has deterred many American friends from visiting China".
Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, told the summit that sustainable China-US tourism exchanges and high-quality tourism development "would not have been possible" without the guidance of the leaders of both countries, high-level visits, political mutual trust and interactions among industry players."
For the continuous increase in tourist visits between China and the US, it is necessary to pragmatically promote tourism, implement more convenient visa policies, continuously expand direct flight quotas, and deepen cooperation and exchanges between tourism investment institutions and market entities," Dai said.
Furthermore, efforts should be made to promote exchanges between the two countries' tourism industries, education institutions and think tanks, he added.
Reporter: Zhang Yunbi, Yang Feiyue
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China still has policy room to further stabilize the property market by boosting demand and optimizing supply without excessive stimulus, thereby further reining in the industry's downturn, experts said.
专家表示，中国仍有政策空间通过提振需求和优化供应来进一步稳定房地产市场，而无需过度刺激，从而进一步遏制房地产业的低迷。
However, the country needs to ramp up efforts to restructure both the property industry and the broader economy, to ensure high-quality development, they said.
然而，他们表示，国家需要加大力度重组房地产业和整体经济，以确保高质量发展。
We believe that there's still a high possibility of more supportive policies aimed at stimulating sales in the short run, which will help constrain the decline in property sales," said Wang Xingping, senior analyst of the corporates department at rating agency Fitch Bohua.
评级机构惠誉博华工商企业部高级分析师王兴萍表示：“我们认为，短期内出台更多旨在刺激销售的支持性政策的可能性很大，这将有助于抑制房地产销售的下滑。”
"The purchase restrictions in some districts of tier-1 cities are expected to be eased. However, the complete cancellation of such curbs in core areas of tier-1 cities may not happen in the short run as regulators aim to stabilize the property market while avoiding overheating again."
“一线城市部分地区的限购政策有望放宽。然而，一线城市核心地区可能不会在短期内完全取消此类限制，因为监管机构的目标是稳定房地产市场，同时避免再次过热。”
The Chinese authorities announced a new round of policy easing measures on Friday. They rolled out a series of significant supportive policies nationwide, including further reduction in the down payment ratio to a historic low, lifting of the lower limit for personal mortgage loan interest rates, lowering of the provident fund loan interest rates and establishment of the special-purpose re-lending program for affordable housing. The new policies' aim is to boost homebuyer sentiment and ease developer liquidity stress.
5月17日，中国相关机构宣布了新一轮政策宽松措施。他们在全国范围内推出了一系列重大支持政策，包括进一步降低首付比例至历史最低水平，取消个人按揭贷款利率下限，降低公积金贷款利率，以及建立保障性住房专项再贷款计划。新政策的目的是提振购房者情绪，缓解开发商的流动性压力。
Robin Xing, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley, forecast that housing support measures may continue to evolve in the coming quarters. "We see more urgency to execute home completion with better utilization of policy banking tools," Xing said.
摩根士丹利中国首席经济学家邢自强预测，未来几个季度，住房支持措施可能会继续出台。邢自强说：“我们认为，通过更好地利用政策性银行工具来执行竣工验收更为紧迫。”
With further home purchase relaxations anticipated, the announced policies should facilitate faster market clearing, support liquidity among developers, restore homebuyer confidence and improve housing investment, albeit with a lag, he said.
他说，预计将进一步放宽购房限制，已宣布的政策应有助于加快市场出清，支持开发商的流动性，恢复购房者的信心，并改善住房投资，尽管会有一定的滞后性。
Amid a challenging period of sluggish demand and liquidity stress, the combined revenues of Chinese mainland developers listed in the A-share and Hong Kong markets reached 4.1 trillion yuan ($570 billion) in 2023, up 3.4 percent year-on-year, according to a report by Chinese-language newspaper Securities Times. Half of the developers realized revenue growth last year, having seen their revenue plunge in 2022.
根据中文报纸《证券时报》的一份报告，在需求疲软和流动性压力的挑战时期，在A股和香港市场上市的中国大陆开发商的总收入在2023年达到4.1万亿元人民币（5700亿美元），同比增长3.4%。一半的开发商在2022年收入暴跌后，去年实现了收入增长。
Most importantly, the leverage ratios of leading real estate companies have continued to decline, resulting in a more optimized assetliability structure. For top-tier real estate enterprises with annual sales exceeding 1 trillion yuan in 2023, the median asset-liability ratio, after adjusting for advances from buyers, stood at 62.63 percent last year.
最重要的是，龙头房企的杠杆率持续下降，资产负债结构更加优化。对于2023年年销售额超过1万亿元的一线房企而言，在调整购房者预付款后，去年的资产负债率中位数为62.63%。
That represented a 3.4 percentage point decrease from 2022 to a nine-year low, indicating a substantial reduction in leverage.
这比2022年下降了3.4个百分点，降至9年来的低点，表明杠杆率大幅下降。
Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura, a Japanese international financial institution, said the property industry remains key to cementing the momentum of the Chinese economy given its great significance to the entire economy.
日本国际金融机构野村证券中国区首席经济学家陆挺表示，鉴于房地产行业对整个经济的重大意义，它仍是巩固中国经济势头的关键。
While China needs to develop public housing in the long term as a focus of a new development model for the real estate industry, it is still critical now to revive the existing market-oriented housing supply system by ensuring pre-sold housing delivery, Lu said.
陆挺说，虽然中国需要长期发展公共住房作为房地产业新发展模式的重点，但现在通过确保预售住房的交付来恢复现有的市场导向型住房供应体系仍然至关重要。
Wang Qing, chief macroeconomic analyst at Golden Credit Rating International, said that for long-term stability in real estate and broader economic growth, a balanced approach between affordable and commercial housing is key — and restrictions on housing purchases and mortgage should be phased out gradually.
东方金诚首席宏观分析师王青表示，为了房地产的长期稳定和更广泛的经济增长，经济适用房和商品房之间的平衡是关键——对住房购买和抵押贷款的限制应逐步取消。
"The government must increase affordable housing supply to meet needs from low-income groups, which supports urbanization and economic growth," he said.
他说：“政府必须增加保障性住房供应，以满足低收入群体的需求，这有助于城市化和经济增长。”
"The industry must abandon the 'three highs' model — high leverage, high turnover and high debt — to reduce developer credit risks. Implementing a capital-gains tax on property sales can also deter speculation and prevent excessive price increases."
“该行业必须放弃‘三高’模式——高杠杆、高周转和高债务——以降低开发商的信贷风险。对房地产销售征收资本利得税也可以遏制投机行为，防止房价过度上涨。”
Chang Haizhong, executive director of corporates at Fitch Bohua, warned that if economic development overly relies on the real estate industry, the economy would be easily impacted by cyclical fluctuations in the housing market.
惠誉博华工商企业部执行总监常海中提醒说，如果经济发展过度依赖房地产业，中国经济很容易受到房地产市场周期性波动的影响。
"In order to ensure stable economic growth, we need to step up efforts in economic structural transformation, and cultivate more emerging industries with huge market potential, like new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, wind power, lithium-ion batteries and the silver economy," Chang said.
常海中说：“为了确保经济稳定增长，我们需要加大经济结构转型的力度，并培育更多具有巨大市场潜力的新兴产业，如新能源汽车、光伏、风电、锂离子电池和白银经济。”
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Massive crowds filled the main square of Tabriz in northwestern Iran as well as mosques in Teheran and elsewhere on Tuesday as Iranians prayed for and held funeral ceremonies for President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who were killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash.
Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian are credited with resounding achievements in foreign relations that are likely to continue even after the new presidential election that is scheduled next month, according to analysts.
Following mourning announcements by Iranian authorities tasked with arranging the services, funeral ceremonies for those who died in the crash were first conducted in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, on Tuesday morning, the second day of the five-day national period of mourning.
Huge processions of mourners were seen in online videos posted by Iran's Tasnim News Agency. Using their mobile phones, some mourners recorded their glimpses of the fallen leaders' caskets, which were draped in the colors of the Iranian flag.
The mourning services will lead up to a funeral and burial ceremony for Raisi on Thursday in the holy city of Mashhad, his hometown, according to Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency.
Speaking at the Tabriz ceremony, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that Iran "mourned the death of a beloved, popular and humble president", adding that the nation was also saddened by the death of a foreign minister "who left active diplomacy in the critical moments of the resistance as his legacy".
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari on Tuesday in Astana, Kazakhstan, and again expressed his condolences over the deaths of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian.
Wang and Safari were in Astana for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's foreign ministers' meeting.No matter how the situation changes, China will as always strengthen strategic cooperation with Iran, safeguard the common interests of both sides and continue to make efforts for regional and world peace, Wang said.
Safari emphasized that Iran's domestic and foreign policies will not change.
Teheran attaches great importance to its relationship with Beijing and is committed to strengthening bilateral cooperation in various areas including politics, the economy and culture, Safari said.Ali Khansari, an international affairs analyst at Allameh Tabataba'i University in Teheran, said that Iran has come together despite the political and ideological differences of political parties, journalists, university professors and "even ordinary people".
"In their eyes, this tragedy is very bad and sad," Khansari said.Mehran Kamrava, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, said that Raisi "did have measurable successes" when it came to his foreign policy, and did so on "two fronts" in particular — in improving relations with Iran's neighbors as well as with Russia, India and China.During Raisi's time in office, Iran made strides in its relationship with its regional and Asian neighbors, including its acceptance into BRICS in August, with official membership beginning on Jan 1.
In addition, Iran gained full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in July.Carlos Martinez, a British political commentator, said, "Ebrahim Raisi fought with honor in the struggle against imperialism, for sovereignty, for peace and multipolarity.
"Martinez said that Raisi's legacy includes resolute support for Palestinian liberation, Iran's membership in BRICS and the SCO, a significant deepening of Iran-China relations, and a total refusal to succumb to the West's bullying and intimidation.
Raisi also rejected speculation that only through rapprochement amid sanctions from the West could Iran achieve its economic success, Martinez added.Iran will hold a presidential election on June 28, according to a statement by the agency headed by acting president Mohammad Mokhber.Registration of candidates will be carried out from May 30 to June 3, with the campaign period taking place between June 12 and 27, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.
Niu Xinchun, executive director of the China-Arab Research Institute at Ningxia University, said Iran's procedures for power transition are clear and well-defined.Niu said he believes that the overall situation in Iran remains stable and that Raisi's death will have a limited influence on the Palestine-Israel conflict and regional dynamics, as the ultimate decision-maker in Iran's domestic and foreign affairs is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Shu Meng, an assistant professor at Shanghai International Studies University's Middle East Studies Institute, said that because Raisi had been viewed as a potential successor to Ali Khamenei, the tragedy leaves Iran without a clear candidate for successor, possibly forcing a future power structure readjustment.
Also on Tuesday, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani was elected as the new chairman of Iran's Assembly of Experts, a legislative body responsible for appointing Iran's supreme leader and supervising his activities, IRNA reported.
Reporter: Jan Yumul, Mike Gu, Yang Ran
Chen Weihua in Brussels and Zhou Jin in Beijing contributed to this story.
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